Roommates
by Zesty Bod
Summary: A glitch in the housing application lands college seniors, Bella and Edward, in the same room. They fumble through friendship and eventually find love.
1. Chapter 1

**ROOMMATES**

Chapter 1

**Bella**

There should be a law banning people from operating a computer while intoxicated. Rather than spending my senior year of college in the brand new and much sought-after apartments on campus with my best friends, I was stuck moving into the Tower with a person I'd never even met. And all because when I was filling out my housing application online, I was so drunk that I could barely type my name. Apparently, in my vodka-induced stupor, I'd filled out an application for a new roommate instead of just checking the box asking if I already had housing lined up for the following year.

So while Alice and Rosalie were moving their things into the posh new senior apartments, I was lugging my crap onto the elevator in the Tower and heading to the 20th floor. The Tower had thirty floors and housed an astronomical number of students. The building wasn't far from the school shuttle stop and it was right across the way from the new apartments – so my friends were in close proximity. Alice and Rosalie had already offered me the use of their couch, in case my roommate really sucked.

"What's the number again?" Charlie asked as we stepped off the elevator. He'd come up to Seattle to help me move my things from storage and into the new place. I knew I could have done it on my own, but I didn't want to deny him a dad-like moment. I think he liked carrying my heavy things because it made him feel manly.

"2020," I replied, dreading the approach to the room. With my luck, I'd end up with some anal-retentive roommate who wanted to study all the time. Don't get me wrong: I was not a slacker. I'd studied hard all three years in college and I was on track to finish with honors. But after all that hard work, I figured it was time to party it up a little and enjoy my last year of freedom before the real world sucked me into its vortex.

"Here we are," Charlie said with a smile. I pulled out my key and took a deep breath before letting us into the room. I let Charlie walk in first, since his arms were full and he probably wanted to put all my stuff down.

"This isn't bad, Bells," he said, looking around. I walked inside and gave it the once-over. It wasn't the worst set-up, I guess. There was a living room with a couch, table, and TV stand. I hoped my roommie had a TV because I'd gotten by the past three years using Rosalie's. There was a kitchen right next to the living room, filled with appliances that looked like they were straight out of the 70s.

I lugged my comforter and pillows into the hallway, which led to a bathroom on the left and the bedroom on the right. The bathroom looked decent, but the bedroom made me depressed. That was the downfall of living in the Tower: only one bedroom for two people. The new apartments had separate bedrooms for everyone, which was definitely a necessity in college. Between the random sex nights and crazy parties that went down, it was always nice to have your own bedroom for a retreat.

"Looks like your roommate's already moved in," Charlie noted as he stood over my shoulder. The bed on the left side of the room was made, covered in a black comforter and black pillows. I frowned. My roommate must have been some kind of Goth chick. I wasn't sure whether or not Goth was worse than anal-retentive. There was a desk for each of us in the room, too, and my roommate's desk was already neatly stacked with books. I glanced over the titles and saw everything ranging from cookbooks and murder mysteries to classic literature and non-fiction. I cracked a smile; at least we'd have books to talk about. I was quite the bookworm myself and it seemed like she had eclectic taste like me.

"Okay, I'll go down and get the rest of your stuff while you're unpacking," Charlie said.

After he left, I made my bed with the purple and blue spread that Charlie had picked out for me. I didn't love it but I did love the fact that my dad had tried to do something sweet. My bedspread was a stark contrast to all the black on the other side of the room.

A few more trips and I had all my things: books, groceries, cooking stuff, and toiletries. I had planned to clean out the bathroom and give everything a good scrub-down but apparently the Goth chick had already done it. Sweet. Maybe she wouldn't be so bad after all.

"So…is that it?" Charlie asked. I could tell that he wanted to stay but it was time for me to get back into the swing of school.

"I think so," I shrugged.

He nodded and then pulled me into a tight hug. "I'm proud of you, Bells." He kissed my forehead and winked. "Don't get into too much trouble with those crazy friends of yours."

I chuckled. "I won't, Dad. Call me when you get home."

When Charlie was gone for good, I hopped onto my bed and lay there for a while. I almost fell asleep but then my phone rang. I cracked a smile when I heard the ridiculous "ringading ding ding dong" ringtone that I downloaded from Geico's website. It reminded me so much of Alice for some reason and I laughed every time I heard it.

"Yesss," I smiled, instantly feeling a bit giddy at the prospect of seeing my best friends for the first time since the start of summer. Rosalie had spent her summer working at a big law firm in New York, and Alice had spent hers in Paris doing fashion crap. I really had no clue what she actually did but her trip sounded like fun.

"Get your ass over here!" Alice said excitedly. "We've got our place all set up and I even put a special pillow on the couch just in case your roommate sucks."

I laughed and started to get off the bed. "I haven't met her yet. But she's definitely been here. The bathroom was cleaned and her bed's made."

"Over achiever."

"Let me take a shower and I'll come over. I'm starving."

"Me too. Make it quick. I can't wait to see you!"

I smiled. That was one thing I loved about Alice. She was affectionate and unafraid to show it. Rose and I were much more conservative about our feelings. Rose was just too cool to be all lovey-dovey, and I was just plain uncomfortable with it.

"Me either. I'll be over soon."

I hung up and rifled through my luggage for undies and a new top. I didn't see the harm in wearing the same jeans I'd already worn and after I laid my new clothes out on the bed, I grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom. I was pleased to find that the water didn't take forever to get hot and I hummed to myself as I bathed. Classes started in two days, which gave me time to goof off with Rose and Alice before getting too serious about work. I was looking forward to my classes, although I felt an uncomfortable twist in my stomach as I thought about the conversation I'd had with Renee the other day.

"What are you going to do with an anthropology degree?" she'd asked. Of course, this was Renee: worry-free extraordinaire. I don't think she'd asked it to make me rethink my decision of majoring in anthropology – I think she was genuinely curious. Still, for some reason, I hadn't given much thought to what I would do with my degree once I graduated. I supposed I could get a Ph.D. or something. But even with that advanced degree, I wasn't sure how I'd put it to use. Rose was well on her way to becoming a lawyer, and Alice wanted to start a fashion boutique. I was the only one of us who was still undecided.

I got out of the shower and wrapped myself up in a big fluffy towel before heading back to the bedroom. I messed around with my iPod dock for a few minutes before plugging my iPod in and hitting the shuffle button. "Rehab" was the first song on there and I couldn't help the sway of my body as Amy Winehouse's husky voice filled the room.

"They tried to make me go to rehab but I said no, no, no," I sang as I shimmied out of my towel. I'm not sure if it was the volume of the music or my enthusiastic singing that drowned out any other sounds in the room, but the next thing I knew, the bedroom door was opening. Before I could grab my towel to cover my nakedness, some guy opened the door and stopped in his tracks and stared at me.

"Get out!" I screamed, moving lightning fast as I fumbled with my towel and did a crappy job of covering myself with it. The guy seemed stunned for a second but he mumbled an apology and left, closing the door behind him. My heart was beating wildly at having been caught naked by a stranger and I could feel my face burning with embarrassment. Who the hell was that guy and how did he get into my apartment?!

I threw my clothes on and marched out to the living room, where the mystery man was sitting on the couch.

"Um, what the hell?" I asked, still angry over his intrusion. He looked at me and if I wasn't mistaken, I thought I saw him chuckle.

"Sorry. I didn't realize my roommate moved so fast in getting chicks into his room." He stood up and offered his hand. "I'm Edward. If it makes you feel any better, I'll try my hardest to forget that I saw you completely naked."

I decided to ignore his last statement and focus on the first part. "Wait, what? Your roommate? What does your roommate have to do with you barging into my room?"

The boy narrowed his eyes, which I noticed were green. "Your room?" he asked.

"Uh, hello? Yeah," I said, wondering what part of my statement he didn't comprehend. He thought quietly for a moment and then outstretched his hand again.

"I'm sorry. I assumed my roommate was a guy and that you were his girlfriend. But this is my room and if you're saying that it's your room too, then _you_ must be my roommate. Hello. I'm Edward."

I didn't shake his hand. I didn't introduce myself. I was far too enraged. A _guy_?! A _guy_ was my roommate? Still in a state of confusion and anger, I grabbed my room keys and hightailed it out of the room. I walked with a purpose to the parking garage and got into my old beat-up truck and drove straight to the school's housing office. I was still fuming when I reached the front desk.

"Hello, how may I help you?" the lady at the front desk smiled. She obviously didn't pick up too well on facial cues because I was clearly pissed off.

"There is a guy living in my room and I want him out," I said, still unsure as to how this mistake could have been made.

"Please give me your name," she said calmly, and weirdly, still with a smile on her face.

"Swan, Isabella."

I tapped my feet impatiently while she looked through her computer. It felt like ages before she said anything.

"Well, dear, it appears that you are listed in our computer system as male."

My mouth dropped. How could I have been listed as a male?! I'd already lived on campus for three years – with girls!

"How did that happen?" I asked, with barely contained rage. The lady turned her computer around for me to look at my housing application. And there it was, right on the screen. _Isabella Swan, sex: M._

Jeez, I was really drunk when I filled out that application.

"But…" I started. Yes, it was my fault. But surely, _someone_ must have read the name Isabella and assumed that the marking of male was a mistake. Not to mention the fact that I was a senior and somebody in the housing department should have realized that I was not a man.

"I'm sorry, honey," the woman smiled again. "There is nothing we can do about your housing situation. Every dorm is filled to capacity and we won't be able to even consider moving you or your roommate out until the end of the drop-add period."

I stood there, dumbfounded, for several minutes. It was bad enough having a roommate that I didn't know. But to have to live with a guy was just…unthinkable. What if he turned out to be a rapist?! Or what if he was some kind of man whore who had girls over at all times of the night? The nightmarish possibilities were endless.

I walked out of the building, defeated. I climbed into my truck and sat there for a few minutes before Alice's ringtone started up again. I didn't smile this time.

"Hey where are you? We're starving."

"I had to go to the housing office because there was a mix-up on my application," I said, still seething.

"Oh what happened?"

I sighed and rested my head on the steering wheel. "My roommate is a dude."

Only a second passed before Alice laughed. "What?" she asked, laughing even harder.

"It's not funny. I'm serious. He's a guy."

"Is he cute?"

"Alice! I didn't have time to notice if he was cute or not! He walked in on me while I was butt-ass naked and now I have to look at him all the time!"

"Oh my God," Alice said, laughing even harder. "Rose," she said away from the phone. "Guess what happened to Bella?"

I hung up before I started screaming, and I sat in my truck for at least thirty minutes. This just sucked. This was not at all how my senior year was supposed to play out. I finally drove back to the parking garage at the Tower and sulked all the way up to the 20th floor. When I let myself into the room, _Edward_ was sitting on the couch, plucking away at a guitar. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"It appears that we are stuck together," I said, through gritted teeth. He looked up from his guitar and smiled. Crap, he was kind of cute.

"Great," he said, clearly not at all bothered by the prospect of having to live with me. "May I have your name now?"

Why was it that he was so damn calm, while I was in the middle of a meltdown? I started to hate him at that exact moment.

"Bella," I said without much enthusiasm.

"Bella," Edward said, putting his hand out for the third time since we'd met. "It's a pleasure."

I didn't return the sentiment. I was sure that Edward thought I was a bitch, but I couldn't bring myself to care. He was ruining my life, after all.

…

**Edward**

I had always looked forward to the beginning of a new school year. My friends teased me about it and called me a nerd, but I didn't care. I liked school and I liked learning. The beginning of my senior year of college brought about the same anxious mix of jitters and excitement, and as usual, I showed up bright and early so that I could move in and have the pick of beds.

I had wanted to live with my friends but they both had prior commitments. Emmett was the president of his fraternity so he was required to live in the frat house. Jasper was a Resident Assistant, so he had his own sweet room in one of the sophomore dorms. That left me to 'fend for myself in the Tower. I didn't mind it much though. I just hoped that my roommate was easy to get along with.

Jasper and Emmett helped me move my stuff into my new room and I was happy to see that my roommate hadn't arrived yet. I picked my bed and thanked my friends for their help. We promised to catch up to each other later, given that Jasper had some orientation thing to get to and wouldn't be free until the afternoon.

I made up my bed in a way that would make my mom proud. She and my dad really wanted to come and help me move in one last time but I assured them that their efforts weren't necessary. Flying in from Chicago just to help me carry some stuff into the room seemed like a waste of time and money. And I consoled my mom with the fact that she would have plenty more opportunities to help me move in. Unlike many of my friends and classmates, who were embarking on their last year of school, I had lots of school still ahead of me. I planned on going to medical school, which required four years of study and at least three years of residency. I guess it was good that I liked learning so much because I would be well into my late twenties by the time I finally finished my education.

I cleaned up the bathroom and gave the whole apartment a good scrub. I wouldn't consider myself a germophobe but you never know what has happened in a room before you – especially with college kids. The thought made me cringe.

By the time the early afternoon rolled around, I had cleaned up, put my things in order, and taken a shower. There was still no sign of my roommate but I figured that he would show up soon. I decided to get some lunch with the boys and give my roommate a chance to get acclimated to the apartment without me breathing down his neck.

I met up with Jasper and Emmett in the school cafeteria. The food wasn't great but it did give us a chance to scope out all the fresh meat – a favorite hobby of ours.

"Dude, these freshmen are so hot," Emmett said, chewing his second hot dog as he eyed some of the new girls entering the building.

"You are such a freshman fucker," I told him, shaking my head. True, I liked to look at the new girls. But I had no intention of sleeping with any of them or even talking to them. I realized after my sophomore year that freshman girls were way too immature for me. They were fresh out of high school, wide-eyed and naïve, and just not my type. I saw the way guys (including Emmett and Jasper) took advantage of the younger girls and the girls simply let them. That was a huge turn-off for me. I needed a woman with a little backbone – somebody who stood her ground.

"She's cute," Jasper said, nodding his head at someone. I followed his line of sight and landed on a girl who was indeed cute. She was surrounded by a gaggle of friends and they all looked ripe for the taking.

"You guys need to broaden your horizons and look for women who are actually old enough to drink legally."

"Where's the fun in that?" Emmett laughed.

After we ate, Jasper had to get back to his orientation duties and Emmett and I parted ways. I was sure the three of us would end up hanging out later, maybe playing some video games or drinking a few beers. If my roommate was cool, I thought of maybe even inviting him.

I headed back to the Tower and let myself into the apartment. No sooner had I stepped in did I hear music coming from the bedroom. The door was cracked open so I thought I would introduce myself to the new roommate. I opened the door, expecting to find some guy lounging around at his desk, possibly watching porn. What I did not expect was a wet, naked, singing girl.

Now, I am no perv. But I am a guy with red blood and functioning genitalia. So when I saw the girl standing there in all her naked glory, I did stare. But only for a minute because she quickly covered herself up and screamed for me to get out.

I closed the door and for some reason, I couldn't stifle the laughter that came out of my mouth. I'm sure the naked lass hadn't found the situation humorous, but I couldn't believe that my roommate had just moved in and already had a naked girl in his room. He was sure to fit right into my little group of friends.

The bedroom door swung open and the naked girl, now clearly furious, stomped out and confronted me.

"Um, what the hell?"

Again, I had a hard time stopping my laughter. I pulled it together enough to say something, though. "Sorry. I didn't realize my roommate moved so fast in getting chicks into his room." I stood and offered my hand. "I'm Edward. If it makes you feel any better, I'll try my hardest to forget that I saw you completely naked."

My attempt at breaking the ice obviously didn't go over too well because the girl just stared at me like I had three heads.

"Wait, what? Your roommate? What does your roommate have to do with you barging into my room?"

_Her_ room? I narrowed my eyes and did some quick calculations. The girl was in the room, alone, clearly right out of the shower. Was it possible that _she_ was my roommate? "Your room?" I asked.

"Uh, hello? Yeah."

Well, problem solved. "I'm sorry. I assumed my roommate was a guy and that you were his girlfriend. But this is my room and if you're saying that it's your room too, then _you_ must be my roommate. Hello. I'm Edward."

Not surprisingly, Naked Chick did not shake my hand. I could practically see the fumes coming from her ears as she ran out of the door. I smiled again and shook my head. If she was my roommate, which it certainly appeared she was, this was going to be very interesting. I pulled out my phone and called Jasper.

"You'll never guess what kind of roommate I have."

"Big fat dude who was jerking off when you walked in?" Jasper guessed.

"Not even close," I laughed. "She's a chick."

"What?" The confusion in his voice was evident.

"Yep. A very spunky, cute, naked chick."

"Whaaat?" Jasper asked and laughed.

I told him the story and of course he asked if I was going to bang her.

"Jasper, come on, that would be pretty tacky, wouldn't it?" I asked. I walked into the bedroom and slid my guitar case out from under the bed. I put the phone between my shoulder and ear as I carefully pulled out my prized possession from the case.

"How is it tacky?" he insisted on knowing, sounding like Emmett.

"Because we have to live together. Can you imagine if things went badly, how hard it would be to deal with each other every day?" I carried my guitar to the living room and relaxed on the couch. "Besides, I don't think she's too crazy about me," I laughed.

We talked for a while longer and when we hung up, I played around with my guitar. I was no expert player; I'd taught myself everything I knew. But I loved to feel the guitar in my hands and I liked coming up with my little tunes.

I was plucking away at the strings, playing nothing in particular, when my livid roommate returned. Wherever she'd gone, it had done nothing for her bad mood.

"It appears that we are stuck together," she said, staring at me like she wanted to set me on fire. I smiled at her, which I was pretty sure only served to further infuriate her.

"Great. May I have your name now?"

She narrowed her eyes at me and I bit back another smile. I was sure that she thought I was a complete jackass and that I was trying to tease her. The truth was that I was just amused and willing to go with the flow of having a girl for a roommate. Sure, she would probably cramp my style when girls came over, but I wasn't nearly the slut that Jasper and Emmett were.

"Bella," she said dryly.

"Bella," I repeated, deciding that I rather liked that name. Still on the couch, I put my hand out for her shake. "It's a pleasure."

She stared at my hand and left without shaking it. She slammed the bedroom door behind her and I shook my head and returned to the guitar.

This was going to be a most interesting arrangement.


	2. Chapter 2

**To everyone who replied or tagged this story, thank you. If you like what you're reading, please let me know. I'll stay motivated and interested as long as you are.**

Chapter 2

**Bella**

I couldn't help myself. I stared, fuming with hatred, as I sat on my bed and Edward sat on his. I hadn't unpacked any of my things. After all, how could I fold all my unmentionables with a _boy_ sitting right across from me? He would see all my panties and bras - the sexy and unsexy ones alike. The thought made me narrow my eyes even further, to the point that I almost couldn't see him. Edward knew I was staring at him but he didn't even look up from his book, which only fueled my rage further. He was so calm, in his loose-fitting jeans and black T-shirt and that ridiculous bouffant. He looked like he'd stuck all ten fingers into an electrical socket.

"Maybe if you keep staring me, you'll disintegrate me with your heat vision," he said in that smug tone that I had already become far too accustomed to in the scant five hours since we'd first met.

"If only it were that easy," I said. Edward shrugged, still reading his book. "You need to get out so I can unpack my things."

"No," he said.

"What do you mean, no?"

"I mean no. This is my room too."

"I don't want you watching me unpack."

"I'm not watching you now. Go on. Unpack your dainty little panties." He waved his hand at me and I very nearly flew to his side of the room and choked him. Somehow I restrained myself and took a deep breath.

He was right; he wasn't looking at me. He hadn't really looked at me at all since I'd let him into the room after I threw my temper tantrum. He seemed completely content on reading his book like the nerd he was obviously trying to be.

I slowly removed myself from the bed and kept one eye on him while I started to unpack. He never looked at me, and I wasn't sure if that made me angry or not. I spotted two packs of tampons and pads in the bottom of my luggage and at first, I panicked. What if he saw my feminine products? Could my life get any worse?

But then a thought struck me. I smiled deviously as I stealthily removed the packs and shuffled into the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and then opened the medicine cabinet above the sink. Some of Edward's things were already there but most of the space was still free. I ripped open the pack of pads and placed disposable napkins in the cabinet so that they took up every crevice. I followed up that act with super-absorbent tampons. I actually laughed to myself – this would show that arrogant prick. If Edward was anything like Charlie, the mere mention of menstruation would send him headed for the hills.

After I had placed every piece of period paraphernalia in plain sight, I nodded my head for a job well done. I walked out of the bathroom and I whistled a happy little tune. Edward peeked over his book and cocked an eyebrow at me. Surely, he knew something was up.

"Yes?" I asked politely.

"What did you do?" he asked, like he wary that I'd replaced with mouthwash with toilet water. Come to think of it, that probably wasn't a bad idea.

"Nothing, _Edward_. Read your book like a good boy."

This time, he was the one to narrow his eyes but he slowly slid the book back over his eyes. I smiled.

For the next thirty minutes, we didn't say anything. I finished unpacking and slid my bags under my bed. I hooked up my laptop and sat at my desk while it booted up. It was always a struggle to get my computer back on the school's system, so while it went through the process, I plugged my headphones into my ears. I completely zoned out and sooner than usual, I was onto the school system. I checked my email and signed into my instant messenger. I'd only been on for a second before Alice messaged me.

_RabbitHole: hey are you coming over???_

_BSweezy: maybe_

_RabbitHole: whaaat? Why only maybe? We have the couch ready for you and we have to get drunk before classes start!_

_BSweezy: you laughed at my predicament_

_RabbitHole: only bc it was funny_

I cracked a smile even though I didn't want to.

_BSweezy: yes I'm coming over once I finish straightening up my things…I don't want my "roommate" going through my belongings_

_RabbitHole: is he a klepto?_

_BSweezy: lol no but he is a perv_

_RabbitHole: ur only saying that bc he saw ur lady lumps. Is he cute or what?_

_BSweezy: you will have to see for yourself…I'm too annoyed by him to determine his cuteness_

_RabbitHole: bring him over! We want to meet him!_

_BSweezy: ew no! you can meet him later_

Alice typed something else but I couldn't see it because a super-absorbent tampon was suddenly dangling in my face. I slowly turned to the side to see Edward's face extremely close to mine, as he leaned over my shoulder with the said tampon in his hand.

"May I help you?" I asked.

"If this is your pathetic attempt at scaring me off, try again. I'm going to be a doctor and I'll see a lot worse things than some unused tampons." He dropped the item onto my laptop keyboard and then looked at my computer. I pushed him away, but not before he could read the chat.

"And tell 'RabbitHole' that I am in fact very cute and very single. What does she look like?"

"You are _not_ dating my friends, you vagabond," I said, hoping he could feel my distaste for him. He laughed. Like really laughed, head back and everything.

"Vagabond? You know what? I like you, Bella. You're fun. I hope we live together forever."

I wanted to throw my computer at him and have it smack him across his stupid forehead. Instead, I closed my computer and tucked into my backpack, where I had put a few of my things for my overnight stay with Alice and Rosalie. I'd had enough of Edward for one day.

"I'm leaving. Please do not snoop through my underwear drawer or whack off and get any of your _man_ _junk_ on my side of the room."

"I can't make any promises," Edward shrugged as he hopped back onto his bed.

"You're disgusting," I rolled my eyes.

I tossed my backpack on and gave my roommate one last annoyed look.

"I'll miss you," he said, batting his eyes at me. I flipped him off and left the apartment. I grumbled and seethed the whole way to Alice's and Rosalie's place, which took a total of five minutes.

"BELLLAAA!" Alice squealed as soon as she opened the door. She threw her arms around me and actually kissed my cheeks several times.

"Alice, jeez," I laughed, trying to push her tiny body off of me. Rosalie appeared from the kitchen and shook her head.

"Alice went over to Paris and became a total lesbo. Forgive her."

"Nice to see you too, Rose," I smiled. Rose smiled but she didn't hug me. Affection was not her thing. A smile was really the most I could expect from her, which was fine with me.

"So I hear you've got a hot sausage for a roommate," Rose continued, taking a sip of some unidentifiable drink.

"Ugh, I wouldn't use those words," I rolled my eyes. I dumped my backpack off on the couch and rejoined my girls in the kitchen. Rose had already poured tequila shots for all of us, and the three of us held up our glasses.

"To senior year," Alice grinned.

"To random one-night stands and lots of hot ass," Rose added.

"To keeping my sanity," I said, and we all downed the drinks. I grimaced and even though my throat burned, it was an enjoyable feeling. It tasted like college.

"So, who is this boy?" Alice asked, taking a bite of lime.

"Edward something," I shrugged. "I've already tried to drive him off but nothing bothers him. I want to kill him."

"Sleep with him first," Rose said seriously. "Then kill him."

"You know, I think you should have been a praying mantis instead of a human," I told her.

We did three more shots each and I was feeling quite nice. We huddled on the floor of the living room couch and I couldn't stop laughing and smiling. I had missed my girls so much. We were like kindred spirits – different but we fit together like puzzle pieces. We spent the next several hours catching up on each other's lives.

Rose had a great summer in New York as an associate for some big time law firm that started out its new lawyers with six-figure contracts. She said she rarely slept, lived off Chinese food and Red Bull, and outdid every other intern there. She loved it, of course. Rose was a natural competitor and she actually got off on being challenged. She was definitely going to be a shark in the legal world.

Alice had lived a bohemian two months in Paris, doing fashion crap that I didn't really understand. She was trying to learn French and she said she had a hot affair with some starving artist named Pierre. I was jealous. My summer really hadn't been all that interesting. I did some research for one of my anthropology professors but that was about it. I didn't have any hot guys or one-nighters to speak of. I didn't really drink much without Rosalie and Alice around.

"Oh my God," Rose giggled. That's how I knew she was drunk – she never giggled unless she'd had too much to drink. "I still can't believe you put 'male' as your gender on that application."

"I knoooow," I laughed, falling against the back of the couch. "My life sucks so hard."

"Stay with us," Alice said simply. She rested her head on my shoulder and then pulled my computer out of my backpack.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I wanna see your roommate." Alice turned on my computer and went to the school website's directory. "What's his last name?"

"No clue. Don't care."

"Ugh, you are useless."

Alice logged onto her Facebook account and then after she was done with hers, she logged onto mine. Low and behold, I had a friend request from Edward Cullen.

"Oh my God, is this him?" Alice asked, squinting and practically putting her nose on the screen so she could get a closer look at the tiny picture.

"Ew, don't accept!" I told her. I tried to yank the computer away from her but Rose came out of nowhere and stole it from both of us. I knew she had pushed 'accept' when she raised her eyebrows at me and smiled.

"Ooh, Bella, I approve. You should let him clean out that cobweb between your legs."

"There's no cobweb! I use it!" I defended myself, which only made things worse.

"We know _you_ use it," Rose laughed. "How about letting a man give it a test-run?"

Alice laughed and I gave her a dirty look. I picked up a pillow from the couch and threw it at Rosalie, and while she was temporarily stunned, I hopped up and snatched my computer from her. I scanned my Facebook, where _Edward Cullen_ was now listed as my friend. I frowned and maybe even growled.

"Let's go eat," Alice said. "We never had our lunch date earlier thanks to your nervous breakdown."

"Fine, let's go."

…

**Edward**

I stepped into the restaurant and I wasn't surprised to see that the place was packed. Maggie's was a popular spot with the college crowd and given that most of the students were back in town and had few days to spare before classes started, lots of people had decided to go out and hit their favorite spots. I had never heard of Maggie's before my junior year, when Jessica introduced me to it. It was a cool place: had great pizza, some pool tables, good drinks, and even a spot for dancing. The music usually sucked but after a few drinks, everything sounded good – even techno.

I checked my watch and saw that I still had about ten minutes before Jessica showed up. She was a girl I'd had a few classes with. She wasn't bad-looking and we got along relatively well. She was no genius but she was pretty nice and eager to please. Even though I had no intention of getting into anything serious with her, I did need a little action. It had been a few months since I had any and Jessica would surely be willing to help me out. Besides, I needed to take advantage of having the apartment all to myself while Bella was out with her friends.

And speaking of the devil, as I looked around and tried to find an empty two-person table to save for Jessica and me, I spotted the little wench sitting at a table with two other girls. The other girls were both pretty in their own ways. The blonde one looked like a ball-breaker and the tiny one looked like a little girl. And then there was Bella, laughing it up and swigging some beer. I checked my watch again, just to make sure I still had some time, and then I decided to give my beloved roommate a little visit.

"Why, Bella, what a pleasant surprise to see you here," I said as I reached their table. Bella looked at me and then rolled her brown eyes, which, for some reason, elated me. I had no idea why I got such a kick out of annoying her, but it was like my new favorite hobby.

"What are you, following me?" she asked. "Go find your own place to hang out."

"I'm waiting for my date and I'm all alone. You wouldn't make me wait by myself, would you?" I pouted and Bella looked like she wanted to rip my lips off.

"Of course not," the tiny girl said with a big smile. She leaned over the table and over Bella and reached her hand out. "I'm Alice."

"Alice," I smiled at her. I thought back to the incident in the room and then waved a finger at her. "You must be RabbitHole."

"That's me," she said with a bright smile.

"And you are?" I asked the blonde.

"Rosalie," she said coolly. She gave me the once-over and returned to her drink. Yep, definitely a ball-breaker.

"Okay, you've met my friends. Now go away," Bella said, shooing me off.

"Oh, come on, Bella. He can sit with us."

Alice basically climbed over Bella's body before switching to the side of the table with Rosalie, which freed up space for me to sit next to Bella. I slid in next to her and she groaned.

"Ugh, God, what do you want?" she asked, trying to push me back out.

"What have I done to stir up all this animosity?"

"You existed," she said in a total deadpanned voice.

"Is she always like this?" I asked the two girls across the table. They both looked amused.

"Nah," Alice shook her head. "She must just like you."

"I can hear you, you know," Bella told them.

For the next several minutes, Bella tried her hardest to ignore me while I chatted it up with Rose and Alice. They seemed like cool girls. The three of them were extremely different, though. They kind of reminded me of my friends – all different but somehow cohesive.

"There's my date," I said, much to Bella's relief. I slid out from the booth and said goodbye to Rosalie and Alice. "Don't stay out too late, young lady," I said to Bella. She waved her hand at me and then I leaned down and kissed her cheek. Faster than lightning, she slapped me. Hard. And for some inexplicable reason, I laughed.

It was then I realized that I was probably going crazy. And yet I enjoyed it.

…

Two days passed before I saw Bella again. I wasn't surprised. After all, I had expected her to spend as much time away from the apartment as she could. But since classes were starting, she had to come back because her clothes and books were in the room.

It was Tuesday morning, the first day of classes, and I'd set my alarm for nine o'clock. I woke up before then, though, to the smell of eggs and bacon. My nose perked up and without regard for my disheveled appearance, I walked to the kitchen and spotted Bella standing over the stove. She was already dressed for class and her backpack was on the counter.

"You're making breakfast?" I asked, scratching my head and yawning simultaneously. Bella looked over her shoulder at me and frowned.

"I'm making breakfast for _me_. You can pour some cereal or something."

"Smells good," I said, walking close enough behind her to peek over her shoulder. There were definitely more eggs in that pan than she could eat by herself. Unless, of course, she was one of those deceptive skinny girls who actually ate like a fat girl.

"Move, you idiot," she said, pushing me away from her.

"You say the sweetest things." I opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of apple juice. I was about to drink it from the bottle but Bella ripped it away from me.

"My juice," she said.

"But I don't have any juice and I'm thirsty."

"Well take your lazy ass to the store and buy some." Bella put the juice back into the fridge and I frowned at her.

"So you won't give me any of your eggs and you won't let me have any of your juice. What kind of friend are you?"

"Whoa, whoa," she laughed. "Who said we were friends?"

"We're roommates," I reminded her.

"Which does not equal friends."

I groaned and looked into the fridge with longing. There was plenty of juice, soda, and water. Yet none of it was mine. And Stingy Bella wouldn't share. So I dragged myself to a bar stool on the other side of the kitchen counter and pressed my head against the cold surface. I started to bang it against the counter.

"I'm. So. Hungry," I said with every bang.

"Oh my God, you're like a two-year-old! Stop doing that."

"Why? You don't care if I hurt myself or not."

"No I don't, but I also don't want you to split your head open and make a big mess."

I actually laughed at her cold-hearted logic, but I continued to bang my head. Being an only child had taught me much, but the most important lesson was that if you act up enough, you will eventually get your way. After about five minutes of incessant banging, I heard a plate being slammed right next to my ear.

"God, you are such a whiner," Bella said. I looked up to find a plate of hot eggs and turkey bacon right in front of me.

_Score._

"You are so awesome," I said, completely genuinely. And at the moment, I meant it. Bella just grunted and we sat in silence while we ate breakfast.

"You know, we should probably get a TV," I said. "To fill these awkward silences."

"Or you could just leave me alone and we wouldn't have any awkward silences to deal with." Bella finished her food and put her dishes in the sink. "I made breakfast; you do the dishes."

Before I could debate that deal, she left the apartment. When I finished eating, I actually did the dishes. Not because Bella asked me to, but because she did make me breakfast and I thought I'd cut her a break.

I got ready for class and spent the rest of my day on campus. I had a pretty full schedule between classes, labs, and extracurriculars. I was on the intramural soccer team with Jasper. We weren't very good but it was a lot of fun and a great way to expend some energy. We ate dinner at the cafeteria with Emmett and by the time I returned to the apartment, it was after ten o'clock. Bella was already in her pajamas, typing away at her computer while she lounged on her bed. She looked up at me when I walked in.

"Where have you been?"

"Aw, honey, were you worried?" I teased her. She rolled her eyes and went back to whatever she was doing. I grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom for a shower. When I was finished, I wrapped the towel around my waist and whistled as I returned to the bedroom. Bella looked at me over the top of her laptop and scowled.

"Put on some damn clothes."

"That's what I'm about to do," I smiled. I whistled again as I opened one of my drawers and pulled out some boxers and a T-shirt. I tossed them over my shoulder and I was about to return to the bathroom to put them on, when I had a marvelously wicked idea.

"You know, Bella, I'd really like it if we could be friends and drop this little love-hate thing going on between us."

"Uh-huh," she said dryly.

"And I think the only way we can truly do that is if we're even."

Bella furrowed her eyebrows at me. "What are you talking about?"

Before she could figure out what I meant, I stood in front of her bed and dropped my towel. Bella's eyes traveled straight to my groin and then she covered her face with both hands.

"Edward, you freak!" she screamed. "Cover up your wiener!"

I nearly peed on myself laughing at the fact that a grown woman had actually just said 'wiener,' and, still naked, I gathered my clothes and headed to the bathroom. I was still chuckling when I got in there. I glanced at the mirror and gave myself a thumbs up. Bella was just too easy.

When I walked out of the bathroom, the bedroom light was off and I could see Bella's form tucked under her comforter. She had probably turned off the lights in fear that I would emerge with my wiener still on display. I turned on my desk lamp and pulled out one of my biology books. Bella peeked at me from underneath her comforter and I smiled and waved.

"Good night, Bella."

"I hate you," she said before turning away from me and covering her face again. I smiled a little too widely and began to read.

Man, I loved my new roommate.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Bella**

I didn't sleep much during my first night with Edward. For one thing, I felt weird about being in such an intimate setting with a guy I really didn't know. Edward didn't seem like the rapist type, but you never can tell. So for the first hour under my comforter, I slept with one eye open just to make sure he didn't try anything funny. After I was satisfied that he probably wouldn't sexually assault me, I still couldn't get to sleep because he was sitting at his desk, studying. The desk lamp didn't bother me as much as the incessant tapping of his pencil on the desk. I was about to throw my pillow at him but he stopped. He must have sensed his impending doom.

He finally turned off his lamp and went to bed at two o'clock. I couldn't have stayed up much later than that, but unfortunately I was rudely brought out of my short sleep by the loud and annoying ring of my phone alarm. I hit snooze about five times before I heard Edward mumbling from his side of the room.

"Turn that shit off," he grumbled. "Your alarm sounds like a cat is being strangled."

I sat up and narrowed my eyes at him, but he turned over and covered his head with a pillow. His rudeness woke me up, and I thought about tossing my phone at his head. Instead, I took the opportunity to climb out of bed while he wasn't looking. I had only worn panties and a tank to bed and my nippies were on full display. Not that Edward hadn't seen it all already. Asshole.

I stumbled into the bathroom and started the shower before I actually got in it. I stripped off my clothes and then jumped a bit when the hot water hit my skin. I loved morning showers; they were truly the best part of my day. Nothing woke me up or refreshed me like a good shower. Rose and Alice were always slow to get up in the mornings so I usually had lots of time to myself in the mornings.

That was obviously not going to be the case with _Edward_.

"Hurry up," he banged on the door. "I gotta pee and shower."

"I've only been in here five minutes!" I shouted back.

"I have class at nine."

"Me too. Next time, wake your ass up sooner."

I was satisfied that I had won our little argument and nodded my head in triumph. Ten minutes later, I cruised out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. Edward was standing in the middle of the room – his hair sticking up and his arms folded. He looked unhappy.

"Well aren't you a grump in the mornings?" I asked pleasantly.

"You're a grump every other time of the day. I think I'm allowed to have the mornings," he said, brushing past me and locking the bathroom door behind him. I rolled my eyes but dismissed his obvious case of PMS. I pulled out some undies and clothes and no sooner had I dressed did Edward open the door. Steam rolled out like a fog.

"Jesus, did you have it on scolding hot?"

He smiled, clearly in a much better mood. He must have needed a good morning shower to function, like me. "The heat wakes up my muscles."

Edward even whistled as he walked into the room, his towel dangling low around his waist.

"Keep that thing on, chief," I told him. "I think we've already had enough of the Edward shlong show."

I had to let the bathroom air out before I entered again. All that heat and moisture threatened to frizz my hair to hell. I started brushing my teeth and Edward re-entered, still clad only in his towel. He opened the medicine cabinet, pulled out some hair gel, and proceeded to style his hair in a manner that looked very much like it had when he woke up.

"You mean you actually _try_ to get your hair to look that crazy?" I asked.

"Women like this look, Bella," he said, never taking his eyes off the mirror. "They tell me it looks like I just rolled out of bed."

"Yeah," I laughed. "They're right. I've seen you right out of bed and trust me, it's not sexy."

He just shook his head at me like I didn't know what I was talking about. I checked my email and then ate some Pop-Tarts before I headed out the door. I strolled down to the stop where the school buses ran. I still had about five minutes before the bus came that would take me to the anthropology building. Just as the Number 5 rounded the corner and came into sight, I felt a light brush against my arm. I turned to see who was standing so close to me and I groaned.

Edward.

"Morning," he grinned, like we hadn't just seen each other.

"Your hair looks ridiculous," I reminded him.

"Girls like it. You'll see."

I didn't know what types of "girls" were into Edward, but I was fairly sure that they were idiots. When the bus stopped in front of us, I took my usual seat in the back and was happy to see that Edward didn't try to squeeze in next to me. He stayed up front and he made his departure at the biology building. I eased into my seat a little more knowing that I finally had some time to myself.

My first class was a bit of a snoozer. The title, "Sex and Anthropology," made the class sound so thrilling. Anything with "sex" in it sounded cool. Turned out the class wasn't about human sex, though. It was a history of the sexual evolution of primates. Not quite as interesting as I'd hoped.

I had another class right after the first one and I only had to walk one classroom down to get there. I settled on the far left side of the room, which had big windows so I could see outside. People started to file in as it got closer to start time. I was doodling on my notebook when I noticed a familiar scent in my vicinity. It smelled an awful lot like the bathroom after Edward had taken his impossibly hot shower. Sure enough, he was sitting right next to me.

"Are you following me?" I asked. I'd already seen him enough for one day!

"You wish."

A girl walked by and smiled at him, and Edward turned to me and grinned. He pointed to his hair and mouthed, "I told you so." I rolled my eyes and wondered how he would react if I shaved off all his hair in his sleep.

The class went on without incident. The professor seemed cool, although her accent was a little hard to understand. I found myself stuttering with my pen a few times while I had to replay her sentence in my head. I looked over at Edward, who seemed to be taking notes just fine. I decided I might have to be nice to him long enough to check my notes against his.

When class ended, Edward and I somehow ended up walking out together. I was headed to the cafeteria for lunch, and apparently, so was he.

"Are you following me again?" I asked.

"Yes. I just can't get enough of your warm sunny personality," he said with a sarcastic smile. We didn't say anything else as we made the trek to the cafeteria, and when we got inside, we splintered off into different food lines. I knew Alice and Rose would be in soon but by the time I had my tray, I didn't see them. I took a seat at a table and started eating, but still no Alice or Rose.

"Do you want to sit alone or can you stand my presence until your buddies get here?" Edward asked, already taking the seat across from me.

"What makes you think I'm waiting for my buddies?"

"You keep looking around for someone."

"How do you know I'm not waiting for my boyfriend?" I asked, with a raised eyebrow. Edward only laughed, like it was a ridiculous thought that I might have a boyfriend.

"So," he said, taking a big bite out a mustard-covered hamburger. "Tell me something about you."

"Why?"

"Because we live together. And believe it or not, we're going to be friends. Might as well start that process now."

I had to hand it to the guy; he was persistent. And no matter how hard a time I gave him, he was still nice and tolerant. I figured it would cut him a break. I'd probably need his notes, after all.

"Only child. Parents divorced. Lost my V-card when I was 18." I slirped some of spaghetti noodles and nodded. "You?"

"Also only child. Parents happily married and overly affectionate. Gave away my V-card when I was 16."

"What's the difference between losing your virginity and giving it away?"

"Guys don't _lose_ their virginity," he smiled. "Trust me. You only lose something that you're trying to hold onto. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough."

"Did you love her?" I asked, making conversation while we ate. Edward thought for a minute and shrugged.

"I thought I did at the time. But now I don't think so. It was infatuation." He raised his eyebrows at me like it was my turn.

"I loved him," I nodded. "We still talk."

"Oh, so you still want him," he assumed.

"No. We'd never work out like that. But I still have a place in my heart for him."

"How many guys have you slept with?" he asked.

"Jeez, getting all up in my business, aren't you?"

"You opened the door," he shrugged. I sighed and took a sip of my drink.

"Four."

"Six," he said.

"I guess that makes you a slut," I smiled. Edward cracked a smile and then laughed.

A booming voice overtook the conversation when a guy who looked like a white version of the Jolly Green Giant slammed his fists on the table and grinned at Edward and me.

"Who's this fine little filly?" he asked. I was terrified, mostly because he looked like he had been made of pure stone. Another guy stood next to him and he looked a lot less intimidating. He smiled at me.

"Pardon us. My friend is an idiot."

"This is Jasper and Emmett," Edward introduced, flicking his hand at them. "My friends. This is Bella," he said to them. "My roommate."

"Ooooh, so you're the hot chick Eddie's living with?" Emmett asked with twinkling eyes.

"You called me hot?" I laughed, and Edward shook his head profusely.

"Nice to meet you," Jasper said, extending his hand. I shook it and returned his sentiment. I was afraid that Green Giant was going to pull me into a bear hug and squeeze me to death.

"We're going to get some food. When we come back, we'll tell you about the embarrassing stuff Edward does so you can tease him about it," Emmett grinned. Jasper patted the large man on the back as it to calm him down and they went off to get food.

"Uh…okay," I said to Edward.

"Don't mind them. They're harmless."

"The big one's kind of scary."

"He's a man-child," Edward shook his head.

I soon realized that Giant was a man-child. When he and Jasper sat down with us, Emmett spent the whole meal stuffing food into his mouth while simultaneously telling me about embarrassing things Edward had done while he was drunk. I hated to admit that I was kind of having fun with the guys, but they reminded me a little bit of my friends. Emmett was silly and youthful like Alice, and Jasper was kind of a sarcastic observer, like Rosalie.

"I'll be back. I need seconds," I told the guys as I took my tray back to the lunch lines. I spotted Alice and Rose and I after I got some more spaghetti, I caught up with them.

"Hey, where have you guys been?"

"Ugh, sorry," Rose rolled her eyes. "The meeting with our teacher dragged on and we couldn't get away."

"You weren't sitting alone all this time, were you?" Alice asked, looking guilty about not being on time.

"Nah. Some of Edward's friends showed up and sat with us. They seem okay."

"You and Edward are hanging out?" Alice asked, and she had that look on her face.

"Not like that," I pointed at her. "The three of us can find our own table if you want."

"No, let's sit with your friends," Rose said with a sarcastic smile. I knew she planned to tease me and I didn't even bother to fight it. We walked back to the table where Edward and his friends were, and I did the introductions. Almost immediately, Alice's eyes were glued to Jasper and Rose was trying her hardest to look anywhere but at Emmett.

_Oh Lord. _

The last thing I needed was my friends getting involved with Edward's friends. Then we'd all be together all the time and if they ever broke up, things would be awkward. I eyed Edward, and he seemed to be rather amused at the way Emmett was basically drooling over Rosalie and Jasper hadn't removed his gaze from Alice.

"Sooo, do you guys want to hang out tonight?" Alice asked, her eyes still trained on Jasper. It looked like they were having some kind of mind sex or something.

"Sure," Emmett spoke up quickly.

"Great! Everyone can come over to our apartment. We can have some drinks and play some games or something."

I wanted to kick Alice for making such a suggestion, but everybody seemed to like the idea. By the time I left the cafeteria, I was just hoping to squeeze in a nap and get some work done and maybe even get in a little time for myself. Of course, Edward had different plans. He caught up to me and brushed his arm against mine. Then he had the nerve to grin at me.

"Looks like our friends are going to do the nasty."

"Ew, I know," I rolled my eyes.

"You want to join?" he wiggled his eyebrows at me. I narrowed my eyes at him and fought the strong urge to run away.

"I'll think about it."

Edward cracked a smile and started to walk in another direction. He looked over his shoulder and called out to me, "Can't wait to hang out with you tonight, roommie!"

I sighed. It was going to be a long night.


End file.
